Monday, 30 December 2013

Hey hey, how was your Christmas this year? The past week has been a complete whirlwind. I started my meager Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve (about a day after getting all caught up on photography work), then of course celebrated with family on Christmas day, and the day after Christmas we finally, FINALLY closed on our house, and have been moving in ever since! (follow along on Instagram for updates in real time!) More on that later, because right now I just want to take a time out to look back on Christmas this year.

To be honest, I almost feel like we skipped the whole Christmas season because I didn't have much time to enjoy it and because so much of what makes me feel in the spirit of things centers around my own home... which, obviously, we weren't in yet during the entire season. However, it was certainly an unforgettable holiday spend with people we love, and that's something to be grateful for.

Some in my family were hurting this year - it was my mom's first Christmas without her mom, my sweet Grandma, and my Grandpa's first Christmas without his sweetheart in over 60 years. The holidays have a way of bringing out the most blissful happiness but also the deepest despair at times, don't they? They tend to remind you both of what you have and what you miss. A strange jumble of emotions.

I can't tell you how excited I am, though, about the coming year ahead. I cannot wait to have my home and office all set up and ready to show you, and I can't wait for the work that will be done there, both professionally and personally.

I always love rounding up my favorite posts from the past year. It's incredible to me to see all that I've been able to share and do in one little year. 2013 was a year of exploration and discovery for me. With the birth of my little Jane I felt the need to cut back on either my blog or my business and I originally decided to cut back on the business. The decision felt right to me but as the months went by I started rethinking my decision. I eventually decided to refocus on the business but make some big changes to the way I ran things. So far I'm very happy with my decision and as always appreciate all the support from my readers! I hope you are able to spend some time clicking through some of my most favorite posts.